Counting and packaging machine



July .8, 1958 COUNTING Original Filed April ll. 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 1ATTORNEYS July 8, 1958 J. F. LARKIN COUNTING AND PACKAGING MACHINE 5Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed April ll, 1952 DDUDDDUDDD INVENTGR.//r/vas AMPK/N,

ATTORNEYS July 8, 1958 J. F. LARKIN 2,842,035

COUNTING AND PACKAGING MACHINE Original Filed April l1, 1952 5Sheets-Sheet 3 @ff/M INVENTOR JAI/m55 fM/vmf,

ATTORNEYS United States Patent COUNTING AND PACKAGING MACHINE James F.Larkin, Chattanooga, Tenn.

Original application April 11, 1952, Serial No. 281,821, now Patent No.2,695,087, dated November 23, 1954. Divided and this application August13, 1954, Serial No. 450,346

1 Claim. (Cl. 93-93) The present invention relates to a packagingmachine and more particularly to an apparatus which may be used forcounting and packaging newspapers and the like.

Heretofore there has not been provided any suitable means for countingand packaging newspapers as they are delivered from the press. Generallyspeaking a number of counters are stationed at the end of the press andthese persons count the papers as they are delivered from the conveyorand when a suitable number is reached stack the papers and remove them.This is a highly insufcient system and results in a considerable wasteof manpower.

The present invention provides a means which automatically counts thepapers after they are delivered from the press and stacks the newspapersin a bundle and provides means for tying the bundle. This isaccomplished through the combination of a photoelectric counting devicewith a suitable mechanical linkage for moving the piled newspapers. Inthe mechanical actuating mechanism there is provided a number offractional revolution clutches and these clutches are described morespecifically in my Patent No. 2,695,087 issued November 23, 1954. Thepresent application is a division of the application resulting in theabove-identified patent.

Referring to the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my packaging machine;

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic elevational view of the control mechanism forthe machine of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic plan view of the control mechanism of Fig. 2;

Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7 are diagrammatic views of the machine of Fig. lshowing the sequence of operation thereof.

According to the present practice, the newspapers come rapidly olf theprinting presses and a large number of men are employed to count thenewspapers and to tie them in appropriate bundles. These are the bundleswhich are distributed to the local paper boys.

Referring to Fig. l, the newspapers as they come off the press aregenerally indicated by reference numeral 1. A counter 2 (whose operationis to be described later with reference to Fig. 2) counts the newspapersas they leave the press. As the newspapers come oi a belt 3, they arecaught by a supporting member 4. Supporting member 4 is pivotallymounted at 5 to posts 6. Belt crank lever 7, connected to gear 8 throughlinkage 9, is iiXedly mounted to the supporting member 4. One revolutionof gear wheel 8 will cause the supporting member 4, through the actionof linkage 9 and the belt crank lever 7, to pivot in a clockwisedirection through stripper bars 10, thus stripping the papers fromsupporting member 4 and causing them to drop into the packaging cavitybelow. Upon completion of the revolution of gear wheel 8, the supportingmember 4 will have returned to the position shown in Fig. l. The counter2, as described below, determines when gear wheel 8 is to be actuated todrop the papers into the packaging cavity.

As the papers are dropped into position, ram 11 is constantlycompressing the papers into a package. The

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ram is actuated through link 12 connected to crank shaft 13 which isdriven by a motor 14 through a belt drive 15. During normal operation,the crank shaft 13 .is constantly rotating in the direction of thearrow.

Fixedly mounted to crank shaft 13 is a sprocket 16 which through chain17 drives sprocket 18, with a 1 to 1 ratio between sprockets 16 and 18.Periodically and under control of counter 2, sprocket 18 drives gearWheel 19 three quarters of a revolution through a fractional revolutionclutch. The ratio of the number of teeth on gear wheel S to the numberof teeth on gear wheel 19 is 3 to 4, so that for every three quarters ofa revolution of gear wheel 19, gear wheel 8 will rotate a fullrevolution.

During the revolution `of gear wheel 8, when belt crank lever causessupport member 4 to rotate clockwise, belt crank lever 7 also actuateslinkage 21 which, in turn,

causes support member 22 to rotate in a clockwise direction about itsaxis 23 to hold the oncoming papers until support member 4 is returnedto its normal position.

Needles 24, rotatably mounted at 25 to frame 26, are connected throughlinkage 27, sprocket 28, and chain 29 to sprocket 20. The ratio of thenumber of teeth in sprocket 28 to the number of teeth in sprocket 20 isthree to four, so that, for every three fourths of a revolution ofsprocket 20, sprocket 28 will rotate a complete revolution.

Sprocket 16 is connected to sprocket 20 through a fractional revolutionclutch according to the present invention.

Spools 30 are mounted to frame 26 and carry twine or wire 31 for tyingthe bales of newspapers. The twine is fed through needles 24, the endsof which cooperate with a tying mechanism (which is not shown and whichforms no part of the present invention) in the packaging cavity.

The fractional revolution clutches between members 18 and 19 and betweenmembers 16 and 20 are controlled by the supplementary controlarrangement indicated generally at 2 in Fig. 1 and shown in detail inFigs. 2 and 3. Referring `to Fig. 2, a pawl 35 engages a ratchet wheel36 causing the ratchet wheel to move clockwise one tooth for each paperpassing by pawl 3S. Wheel 37 having teeth 38 rotates with ratchet wheel36 causing tape 39 to move. Tape 39 is provided on one side with slots40 and on the other side with slots 41. Beneath the tape are positionedtwo lamps 42 and 43. Immediately above the lamps and opposite the tapeare two photo-electric cells 44, only one of which is `Shown in Fig. 2.The photoelectric cell is connected through an amplifier to a solenoid4S which actuates control element 45a. The control element 45a isconnected to each of the two fractional revolution clutches used withthe machine.

As one of slots 40 or 41 passes between its respective light andphoto-electric cell, the light is permitted to shine through the slotexciting its respective photo-electric cell which, in turn, causes itsrespective solenoid 45 to actuate a control element 45a in one of thefractional revolution clutches. With the type Iof machine describedherein, there are more slots 40 than there are slots 41. In the presentexample, the ratio is 5 to 1. The slots 40 with their respectivephoto-electric cell and solenoid arrangement are associated with thefractional revolution clutch between members 18 and 19. Slots 41 withtheir respective photo-electric cell and solenoid arrangement areassociated with the fractional revolution clutch between members 16 and20. Thus, in the present example, for every ten papers counted, theclutch between members 18 and 19 will be caused to operate by controlelement 45a causing a group of ten papers to drop into the packagingreceiving cavity. For every 50 papers counted and dropped into thecavity, the clutch between members 16 and 20 will be engaged causingneedles 24 to move down to tie the package of 50 papers.

Figs. 4 through 7 show generally the sequence of operation of the partsat the time of the tying operation. In Fig. 4, supporting member 4 hasjust dropped the last load of papers into the package receiving cavity.The clutch operating needles 24 have just been engaged and ram 11 isabout to compress the papers into the iinal package.

1n Fig. 5, the ram has completed its compressing stroke and the needles24 have carried the end 31a of the twine 31 counter-clockwise into`slots 11a in the ram 11.

In Fig. 6, ram 11 has begun to move away from the packaging cavity whileneedles 24 have been moved t-o a position in which the tying operationis effected.

Fig. 7 shows the ram 11 at the extent of its return stroke, the packageof newspapers has been tied, and a new length of string has been broughtup from the tying operation to start a new package.

Itis to be understood that the relationship between the various elementsas set forth above is not exact -but is given to show generally thecooperation between the parts during the packaging operation.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

A counting and packaging machine for papers and the like comprising aconveyor for supplying papers to the machine, a transfer carriagecomprising a rack mounted adjacent the end of said conveyor to receivepapers from the conveyor, a packaging chamber disposed in spacedrelation to the conveyor end, means pivotally mounting said transfercarriage for movement between the paper receiving position adjacent theend of said conveyor and a paper discharge position in the packagingchamber, said means including a motor having a rotatable shaft, afractional revolution clutch connecting the shaft to the carriage, acontrol element for causing the engagement of the fractional revolutionclutch, paper counting means for operating said control element atpreselected intervals determined by the papers counted, a package tyingarrangement adjacent said packaging chamber, a `second fractionalrevolution clutch connecting said package tying arrangement to saidrotating shaft, a second control element for said second clutch, andmeans connecting said second control element to said counting means foroperating said control element at additional preselected intervalsdetermined by the papers counted.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,221,196 Lewis Apr. 3, 1917 1,600,958 Hart et a1 Sept. 21, 19261,770,973 Coy July 22, 1930 1,985,547 Quick et al Dec. 25, 19342,606,483 Forbes Aug. 12, 1952

